Hydropower in the Columbia River: History of Fish Passage Development and Implications for the Mekong River

David Hand, US Fish and Wildlife ServiceJohn Beeman, US Geological Survey

Overview of Columbia River

Timeline of dam construction+fishpassage

Highlight major themes

Implications for the Mekong

Length : 2,000 km.

Source: Columbia Lake, British Columbia

Drainage area: - 67 million hectares- Larger than France,

Belgium, & Netherlands combined

- 7,500 cms daily mean flow

- 219 major dams: … 176 in U.S. … 43 in Canada

Columbia River

Columbia Mekong

Catchment (km2) 670,000 795,500

Length (km) 2,000 4,900

Mean discharge (m3s-1) 7,500 14,500

Number of fish species ~100 800-1,100

Mainstem Dams

(existing or planned)

15 19

Tributary Dams

(existing or planned)

>250 ~200

Adapted from Ferguson et al 2011 and D. Wills USFWS 4

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

MainstemDam Construction Begins

-Rock Island-Bonneville-Grand Coulee

6

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

-McNary-Chief Joseph-The Dalles-Brownlee

7

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

-Rocky Reach-Priest Rapids-Wanapum-Wells

-Oxbow-Ice Harbor-Hells Canyon-Lower Monumental

8

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

-John Day-Little Goose-Lower Granite

9

Downstream passage through turbines

Upstream passage through fish ladders

USACE

Bonneville ladder,ODOT

Downstream Spill Surface weirs Flow Augmentation Juvenile Bypass Transportation Turbine redesign

Upstream Lamprey Passage

Systems Spill Patterns

Fish Conservation=Power Generation

Government/Legal Driven Treaties, NW Power Act,

Endangered Species

Broad goals measurable objectives

Basing decision on SCIENCE

CRITFC

Lamprey counts Granite Dam

Initial salmonid focus

13

Initial salmonid focus

Salmon passage non-salmon passage

14

NOAA

14

Assess Problem

Design

Implement

Monitor

Evaluate

Adjust

Test passage designs

Rigorous monitoring

Flexibility

15

80+ years of work Complex Long-term

monitoring Financial

$US 500 Million annually

$US 3.3 Billion 1982-2001

Forgone power generation

Spill at Bonneville Dam, USACE

USGS

16

Columbia Mekong

Political Will Strong

Measurable Objectives

Developing

Broad Goals

Ecosystem Approach

100 species >1,000 species

Little knownAdaptive Management

Monitoring

Flexible

Limited monitoring

Inflexible

Long Term Commitment

80+ years

Costly

Unknown

Limited $17